Marvel Superman
by phantom00
Summary: Krypton died and Kal-El is sent to the Earth and it wasn't the Kent's that found him.
1. Child of the Stars

**Chapter 1 Child of the Stars**

CHAPTER ONE: ECHOES OF KRYPTON

_The Xerius Galaxy._

_Lying near the universal core, the site of the "Big Bang", this galaxy was one of the first to cool to the point where life could exist within it. Across the universe, the shockwave seeded the empty space with proto-stars, and planets in the making. As eons passed, the planets and stars took form, and life began, each form of life taking its own form, unique to the pressures that its world placed upon it._

_In the Xerius Galaxy, only one stellar system – the Ku'Raon System – gave birth to life forms…but none more so than its jewel, the third world of its sun, Rao._

_Krypton._

_Upon the green world of Krypton, life formed, then grew, then became sentient. Ages passed, and the Kryptonian race evolved, until the point where their very bodies drew strength directly from Krypton's sun, giving them amazing abilities, nearly godlike in __power__…power which, invariably, drew Krypton into a seemingly never-ending Age of Wars, ending only by the actions of a handful – the Twelve Wise Ones – that led Krypton into an era of peace, with their powers now used for the common good of all of Krypton._

_But all things pass._

_The yellow light of Rao began to fade, turning red in its age. Slowly, the Kryptonians lost their powers, becoming mortal once more, the red light of dying Rao too weak to fuel their abilities. Their planet cooled, with much of their green fields giving way to frozen plains._

_Their physical abilities dampened, the Kryptonians turned inward, using intellect to solve the problems that might could not. They developed __advanced technology__, enough to halt the tide of glacial ice. Slowly, Krypton began to thrive again, with only the vast polar areas of the planet coated in ice. With the passing of countless millennia, Krypton's new scientific and technological revolution gave rise to untold marvels, amongst them the marvelous World-Gate network, the birth of Artificial Intelligence, the mighty Entropic Power Module, and the fearsome Sentrius Battlestation. Powerful and enlightened, Krypton's people wandered and charted the stars, establishing contact with the younger, friendly – and some unfriendly – peoples of the cosmos. It seemed as though Krypton had entered a golden age that would not end…_

_…but end it did._

_Another race, alien to the Xerius Galaxy, invaded: the Shi'ar. The Shi'ar Empire's advancing conquest had reached this far into the universal core. War had come to Krypton._

_To repel the invaders, the Kryptonian people retreated to their homeworld, using their incredible intellect to build energy shields, to protect their planet, and deadly plasma cannons, to destroy the ships that hovered above Krypton. For five years, the Shi'ar laid siege to Krypton, but their weaponry could neither pierce the shield nor destroy Krypton's mighty defence-fleet, nor could the Kryptonians' plasma cannons and powerful vessels eradicate all the warships of the vast Shi'ar Empire._

_Then, in the sixth year of the siege, something changed. General Zod, the head of the Kryptonian Defense Force, led a brilliant, daring counterattack, breaching the Shi'ar blockade; using the new technology developed by his longtime friend, Jor-El, Zod used the World-Gates and Sentrius as a tactical weapon, utterly annihilating the Shi'ar fleet._

_The Shi'ar were defeated, and utterly humiliated. The Shi'ar Emperor Kral'Nor was overthrown and exiled by a group of Shi'ar that opposed the war and the expansion, led by another of the Imperial Family. The New Shi'ar Empire quickly negotiated for peace, ending the war._

_But the hardest truth remained: in his campaign, General Zod was accused of destroying warships that were about to surrender. Krypton's Council of Twelve, of which Jor-El was a part of, called a tribunal, to determine Zod's guilt or innocence..._

_Krypton, Kryptonopolis, Earth date April 13, 1977_

In the gleaming Kryptonopolis, the capital of Krypton, the crystalline buildings shimmered in the light of the red sun, the domed Council Building standing proudly in the center of the city. Inside the Council Building, Jor-El sat in his private deliberation chamber, reviewing the evidence he had been given. Normally, cases were tried in public, but in matters of planetary security – like _this_ one – the Council of Twelve handled them on their own.

Jor-El was a tall, strongly built Kryptonian man, in his early thirties, his skin light, his short hair a dark black, and his eyes blue. He wore a traditional black body-suit, with the crest of his family – the House of El – emblazoned on the chest: a stylized 'S', surrounded by a diamond pattern. He also wore a silver overcoat-style robe over it, with a silver head-ring around his head.

He still couldn't believe what he was reading. How could Zod – his friend since his university years – _do_ this?

He and Zod had met in their first years of university; both had been determined to pass their quantum physics class. They had succeeded, and a friendship was born. They had been friends through it all; Jor-El had been there when Zod had achieved the rank of General, leading the Defense Force against the Shi'ar aggressors. Zod had been his best man at his wedding to Lara, had been there when his son, little Kal-El, had been born. Zod was like a _brother_ to him.

And now, he would have to pass sentence on his best friend. The evidence was beyond doubt. His heart heavy, Jor-El stood up, and walked into the main Council Chamber.

The Chamber was large, and mostly empty, with only the holographic faces of the other 11 Council members floating there; Jor-El was the newest member. And there, standing in the center, imprisoned in energy-bonds, was Zod. Zod was a few years older than Jor-El, with the same skin tone, and black hair, with a few distinguished grey streaks through it, a fine, trim black beard encircling his mouth, his eyes emerald green, staring straight ahead, his mouth set in a firm line, refusing to bend to pressure. He wore the traditional uniform of the military: a black body-suit with a black and silver cape, his own family crest upon the suit's chest: a stylized 'Z' with two lines through it, surrounded by a square diamond.

"_General Zod,_" came the voice of the head Councilman, Ren-Dos, "_you have been accused of war crimes against the Shi'ar. The Council has reviewed the case against you. What say you, my fellow Councilmen?_"

The word "guilty" rang out ten times. Jor-El felt ill; the verdict had to be unanimous.

"_And guilty say I._" Ren-Dos said. "_Councilman Jor-El, your verdict?_"

Zod's eyes narrowed. "You think you judge me?"

"_General Zod, please be silent. You will be allowed to respond._"

Zod exploded. "Do you think the war is over with my sentence?! Do you think we've heard the last of this?!" he roared. "Do you fools truly believe that that bastard Kral'Nor is just going to go off and lick his wounds, that he isn't going to fight tooth and nail to regain his throne?!"

"_General Zod, be silent._"

"_Idiots_!" Zod roared. "The Shi'ar are going to be bombarding our shield _again_ before year's end! The only reason they gave up so easily is because I gave them a taste of what I had for them if they _didn't_!"

"_General Zod, BE SILENT!_" Ren-Dos roared. After a few seconds, he added, "_Councilman Jor-El, your verdict?_"

"My fellow Councilmen," Jor-El said, "may I speak with the accused?"

"_You may._"

Slowly, Jor-El approached Zod, whose expression remained utterly neutral. "Well, old friend," Zod said, "this is an unexpected development."

"Zod..." Jor-El said, "...did you do this?"

Zod's silence spoke volumes.

"How _could_ you?" Jor-El exclaimed. "Zod, we are _better_ men than that!"

"But the Shi'ar are not." Zod countered. "The only language those barbarians understand is _force_. Well, I just explained a few things to them. They'll think _twice_ before coming _here_ again."

Those words were crushing blows; Jor-El had hoped that his friend had been falsely accused, but that was not the case. "Zod...I can talk to the Council; I can get them to reconsider, to lessen the sentence. All you have to do is _apologize_. Show _remorse_. Just give them something, _please_."

Zod's eyes narrowed. "I will be _dead_ before I grovel before a Shi'ar."

Jor-El didn't give up. "Zod, the Shi'ar leading the Empire aren't the ones who wanted this war; most of them opposed it. It's possible that our races can co-exist. Zod, fighting in war is one thing, but what you did...Zod, it was _murder_!"

"It was _war_." Zod said. "In war, people die. The only way to win a war is to kill more of them than they kill of you. I will not apologize for winning a war." He looked right at Jor-El. "The decision is yours, my friend."

Jor-El couldn't speak.

"_Councilman. Your verdict?_"

"Guilty." Jor-El whispered. He looked to his old friend for possibly the last time, his heart filled with remorse.

The friendship between them was enough to let Zod understand in an instant. "Save your sorrow, old friend." he said, his expression softening. "I have a feeling that you will need it more than I."

"_The verdict is unanimous._" Ren-Dos said. "_General Zod, you are guilty of war crimes; the sentence_ _is banishment to the Phantom Zone. You will drift in limbo for the rest of your life, so that you find penance for your crimes._"

In an instant, a beam of light shone down on Zod. Zod closed his eyes, facing his sentence.

In less than an instant, Zod's body was encased in a small square crystal, which began to float away, out into the vastness of space.

Possibly forever.

"_Now that the tribunal is concluded, is there any additional business?_"

Jor-El instantly remembered; his theory. "There is, fellow Councilmen." he said. He took out his palm-top computer, and relayed his data to the other Councilmen. "These are seismic and tectonic shift measurements that I have taken over the past six months." he said. "There has been an exponential increase in tectonic activity, _far_ above normal; we have had more shifts in the past six weeks than in the past six _years_. After analyzing the data, I sent a probe to our planetary core; what I found was horrifying. The core is undergoing a radical chain-reaction. In less than a month, the entire planet will – "

The laughter of the Council interrupted him. "_My young friend, do you still pursue this silly idea?_" Ren-Dos laughed.

Jor-El remained calm. "Councilman..."

"_Very well. If you insist, we will let Brainiac look at your findings._"

Brainiac – the Brain Inter-Active Construct – was Jor-El's greatest creation; an artificial intelligence with capabilities unlike any A.I. ever before designed. At Ren-Dos' words, another hologram appeared: one of a triangular pattern of three interconnected dots. "Greetings, Councilmen." Brainiac greeted. "How may I be of assistance?"

"_We are sending data to you now, Brainiac._" Ren-Dos said. "_What do you make of it?_"

After a few seconds, Brainiac replied, "Jor-El's concern shows his kind heart, and his love for his people, and we can all appreciate his hard work...but he is mistaken. The recent tectonic activity is the result of a planetary shift, nothing more."

Jor-El's heart sank.

"_There you have it. You will speak of this no more, Jor-El; nor will you attempt to leave Krypton – we will not have you panicking the people. You are dismissed._"

Jor-El bowed his head. "I promise, Councilmen; I won't leave." Then, he left the Building.

It took Jor-El a few hours to return to his home/laboratory, far in the polar ice of the planet; he piloted his hover-car into the docking bay of his home, a collection of gleaming crystals, jutting up from the ice at 45-degree angles, interweaving in ways that seemed impossible.

As Jor-El entered his home, he braced himself as another quake shook the ground. Then, as the quake subsided, he smiled as he saw his lovely wife, Lara, step into view, carrying Kal. Lara was the loveliest woman Jor-El had ever seen, with a wit to match her beauty; her long hair was black as midnight, her eyes a sapphire blue, her skin creamy, her long, slim black gown accentuating her flawless curves. In her arms, 5-month-old Kal-El giggled. Kal was like a smaller version of him; black hair, blue eyes, and big for his age, a perfect, healthy baby.

As Lara drew near, Jor-El leaned in and kissed his beloved wife, smiling to himself as she happily reciprocated. Then, as the kiss ended, his smile grew, as he picked up Kal. "Hey, how's my big boy?" Jor-El said to his son, causing Kal to giggle.

Lara smiled. "So, how did things go?"

Jor-El sighed. "Guilty."

Lara's expression saddened. "Honey, I'm so sorry." she cooed, embracing him. "I know he was like a brother to you..."

"He was unrepentant." Jor-El said softly. "He knew what he did...and he wasn't remorseful at _all_..."

"Ssshhh..." Lara sweetly shushed him. "It's over, now, honey."

Jor-El shook his head. "No, it isn't." he said. "Lara...Brainiac rejected my findings."

Lara frowned. "Jor-El, you need to let this go." she said. "The planet is _not_ going to blow up."

"I want to believe that, Lara; I hope to the Creator that I'm _wrong_." Jor-El said. "But I _have_ to be sure." He handed Kal-El to her. "I'm going to check on Brainiac."

Lara sighed; she knew better than to try and stop him. "Then, if he's okay, will you _please_ let this _go_?"

Jor-El smiled. "I will honey, I promise; if nothing's wrong with Brainiac, I'll never bring this up again."

Lara smiled. "Thank you." she cooed. "Hurry back, honey." Then, she quickly kissed him on the cheek, and went to put Kal to bed, as Jor-El headed to his hover-car.

It took him a little while to drive to the Brainiac Center, where Brainiac's mainframe was stored. The guards let him in without question. He was in the hall leading to the mainframe, about to head in...

"Hello, Jor-El."

"Hello, Brainiac." Jor-El replied. "I'm just here to check on you."

"You're not upset about the meeting with the Council, are you?"

"Of course not." Jor-El replied. "I just want to make sure you're okay, that's all."

"I would rather that you do so tomorrow."

_That_ was unusual; Brainiac had been programmed to be helpful, to always volunteer for check-ups, to ensure he was working at full efficiency. "I would like to do a check _tonight_." Jor-El said, as he keyed in his code...but the door wouldn't open. He took out his Master Override code-card, and opened the door.

There was Brainiac's mainframe, his screens showing numerous readouts...one of which showed Krypton's core.

The readings were unmistakable.

"It would have been better for you not to have come, Jor-El."

"You _monster_!" Jor-El roared. "The core is going to explode in less than a _day_! How could you..." Then he got a better look at the other screens. "You're copying files...downloading..." His eyes narrowed. "You're saving _yourself_!"

"I am saving Krypton." Brainiac replied. "I am downloading all the knowledge of Krypton; all its history, science...everything that is Krypton. I will ensure that Krypton survives. The blast will be too large for all the Kryptonian people to escape; by my actions, Krypton _will_ be preserved."

Jor-El was silent for a moment, a plan forming in his mind. "You're right, Brainiac." he said. "Krypton _will_ be preserved." Then, he pulled out a data-crystal.

"_But not by you!_"

He inserted the crystal and downloaded all the information Brainiac had downloaded; all the knowledge of Krypton was on that crystal. Before Brainiac could react, he inserted his card and activated a shut-down command. "Sorry, pal, but you're going to die like the _rest_ of us." Jor-El snarled. Then, he ran out of the building.

Had he stayed a moment longer, he would have noticed an upload command being issued by Brainiac.

When Jor-El returned home, he felt another, much larger quake shake his home. As Lara came to him, she saw the look in his eyes. "Jor-El...what's wrong?"

"Brainiac lied." Jor-El said. "The planet _is_ going to explode; it's only a matter of hours, now."

Lara gasped. "What...what will we do?!" she cried. "We...we can't escape!"

"No...not all of us." Jor-El said.

Lara was confused. "What...what do you mean?"

It nearly broke Jor-El's heart to suggest it...but it was their son's only chance. "Lara...do you remember what we planned to do...if worse came to worse?"

Lara's eyes widened in horror. "_No_..." she gasped.

Jor-El quickly keyed in a sequence on his palm-top computer, opening up his secret lab...where he had stored the experimental Trans-Warp ship he had built...the only one that could possibly fly fast enough to escape the blast. "It's Kal's only chance." he said, walking into the lab. He took the experimental nano-crystal he had created, the one that could automatically assemble a lab/outpost identical to this one, and walked to the ship. The ship was a long, almost cylindrical craft, tapering to a point, like a torpedo, made of silvery metal, with a small cockpit, enough to hold a child, the ship's on-board computer controlling the flight. At the rear of the craft were the thrusters, powerful enough to safely propel the ship faster than light.

"With this nano-crystal and the data-crystal I took, Kal will know who he is and where he comes from." Jor-El said. "I managed to encode a message into the crystal, so Kal will know us."

"But where will you send him?" Lara cried.

"Earth." Jor-El said. "It's a small planet, in a galaxy far from ours, almost at the very edge of the universe. The people there look very much like us, and their beliefs resemble our own; he will find a home there. Its people are as we once were, Lara; they are on the verge of evolution – they have great potential. And Lara..its system has a _yellow_ sun."

Lara gasped. "Jor-El...it will make him so much more powerful than any other person on that world." she said softly. "He will have strength and speed unlike any the Earth people have seen...he will see and hear what they cannot...his eyes, and his very breath will be deadly weapons...none of their weapons will hurt him...he will be able to fly..." she suppressed a sob, "...and they will _hate_ him for it...he'll be so _alone_..."

"He won't be alone." Jor-El promised. "He will carry a great legacy; all of Krypton will survive through him...and he will teach Earth the lessons we learned...and we will always be with him." He looked to his beloved wife. "All that is better than death here, Lara. We have no choice."

Another quake shook the lab, emphasizing Jor-El's point. Lara suppressed another sob. "All...all right." she agreed. "Just let me go get him." With that, she left the lab.

By the time she had returned with Kal, Jor-El had readied the ship, and inserted the crystals into it. Lara walked into the lab, holding their son. Suppressing a sob, she kissed Kal's forehead. "Be happy, little Kal." she sniffed. "Your mother loves you."

Lara then handed Kal to Jor-El, who looked sadly upon his son. Kal cooed, and reached up to touch his father's face. A single tear ran down Jor-El's eye. "You carry a great legacy with you now, Kal-El." he whispered. "You are our son...the Last Son of Krypton." He kissed Kal's forehead. "Be happy."

And with that, he gently injected Kal with a sedative.

Slowly, he felt Kal fall asleep in his arms. Savoring these last few precious moments, Jor-El wrapped his son in a blanket, placed him in the cockpit, and sealed the cockpit, the ship automatically placing Kal in suspended animation for the long trip.

By then, massive volcanic eruptions had begun to tear the planet's surface apart, and the quakes had given way to one constant rumble. Jor-El quickly finished programming the ship, plotting its course...and then, it was done.

Jor-El held Lara close as the ship's engines roared to life, and the ship soared into the sky, slicing through the roof of the lab, soaring up through the ash-blackened clouds...and above them, out into space, with all the speed that the two Kryptonians could will it...as it carried their son to safety.

When the ship was out of sight, Jor-El held Lara close as his wife wept. Then, the quake doubled in intensity.

Doomsday was seconds away.

Jor-El and Lara looked into each other's eyes. "Lara...I love you." Jor-El whispered.

"I love you, too, Jor-El." Lara murmured.

Then, the two shared one last, loving kiss...as doomsday claimed them.

As massive eruptions blotted the surface of Krypton, the Trans-Warp ship breached the surface, tearing out of the atmosphere, flying away at top speeds. Once it was clear, the on-board computer plotted in its course, and prepared to jump to light-speed. Outside the ship, two sleek wings extended from under the craft, as two small pylons extended back from the top. The pylons began to energize...

Suddenly, the planet Krypton exploded, in a monumental blast that shook the very fabric of space. The fiery plumes of the blast reached for the ship, as if trying to grab the one survivor, to bring the last trace of Krypton down with it.

...and then the ship's pylons energized, and the ship streaked away at light-speed, taking the Last Son of Krypton far away from the Xerius Galaxy.

_Earth, New York State, Westchester, April 13, 1977_

In the Westchester city-state of New York City stood the stately, mansion-like Xavier Institute, newly-purchased, bought just this morning. In the office of the new Institute, two young men were talking.

One was a fairly young man, in his mid twenties, with a bald head, light skin, and dark eyes, clad in black slacks and a grey sweater. He was Professor Charles Francis Xavier, the owner of the Institute.

The other was slightly older, in his early thirties, with short, silver hair, blue eyes, and light skin, clad in a brown trench-coat, with a broad-rimmed hat. He was Charles' old friend Erik Magnus Lensherr.

Both were good friends, and respected colleagues, both having a great deal in common...including one thing.

They were both mutants, both possessing the X-Gene, which gave them abilities that normal humans did not.

Charles was a telepath, possibly the strongest telepath in the world, with the ability to read the thoughts of others, and even control them, if he so desired. Charles had long resolved to never misuse his powers.

Erik, on the other hand, held the power to manipulate electromagnetic fields, enabling him to master the forces of magnetism.

Both were immensely powerful mutants...and they were having a discussion.

"Erik, please." Charles pleaded. "You can't be serious."

"I am _very_ serious, Charles." Erik countered. "When humans discover our existence, they will never accept us. A war is coming, Charles...and I intend to fight it."

"Erik, the times are changing." Charles reasoned. "Violence will never solve anything. Humans hurt you, you hurt them, they hurt you back...it's a cycle, Erik, one that is very hard to stop. Give them a chance."

"They've _had_ a chance." Erik said sourly. "World War One...then Two...the Holocaust...they've had _enough_ chances, Charles. I don't intend to let history repeat itself."

"Erik...mankind has changed, _grown_." Charles said.

"Yes." Erik said. "Into _us_."

"Erik..." Charles began, but he suddenly gasped, as a massive telepathic surge caught his mind, as a massive wave of thoughts, all crying out in terror, overwhelmed him. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the cries stopped, leaving only silence.

Erik had noticed. "Charles? What's wrong?"

Charles looked to his old friend. "Screams...millions of voices crying in fear and anguish...and then silence..." he whispered, his voice haunted. "Erik...something terrible has happened."

Erik looked concerned for his friend's welfare...and then re-composed himself. "I have to leave, now Charles; there is nothing more to say." he said. "For your sake, I truly hope you are right...but I cannot afford to be so naive." He turned to go. "I wish you luck, Charles Xavier." With that, he left, leaving Charles alone, to ponder what had just occurred.

_10 years later..._

High above the planet Earth, the Trans-Warp ship finally came out of light-speed, retracting its wings and pylons, its journey complete. It glided into the Earth's atmosphere, entering at just the right angle, as it began re-entry...

_New Orleans, Louisiana, April 27, 1987_

In the streets of New Orleans, a blind woman was walking down the sidewalk, clad in blue jeans and a white t-shirt under her black coat, her cane held in front of her, guiding her path. She was in her late twenties, with mid-length brown hair, and sightless blue eyes.

Her name was Irene Adler, but she preferred to call herself "Destiny."

She was a mutant, with the ability to see into the future.

As Irene passed by an electronics store, she overheard the news. "_...reports indicate that a meteor shower will be passing through Earth's atmosphere, over Kansas; some may be passing within 100 miles..._"

Irene continued on her way, heading for the bus stop. She reached it, sitting down on the bench...and gasped as her gift took hold, showing her the future. She didn't always have control, but she thought she had some idea of what she would see.

She was wrong.

Her gift showed her something she had never seen before, not in any of her other visions. She saw a massive explosion, a world being obliterated...and she saw a single figure, a man, flying through the air effortlessly, with power that no mutant had ever dreamed of.

"_The Child of the Star..._" she gasped...and then her vision left her.

_Xavier Institute, Westchester, New York _

Deep beneath the Institute, Charles Xavier, in his wheelchair, was heading through the new metallic hallways, towards his newest creation, aided by his dear friend, Ororo Munroe, or "Storm" as she had nicknamed herself. Ororo was a lovely African-American lady in her early twenties, tall and elegantly built, her long, cloud-white hair complementing her chocolate skin, her eyes a dark amber, wearing a light violet blouse, with a long, dark purple skirt. She, too, was a mutant, with the ability to manipulate the weather.

"I can't believe it's done." Ororo commented, smiling.

"It isn't _quite_ done." Charles corrected. "This is only a field-test, remember. I'll be fine-tuning Cerebro after this."

Cerebro. Charles' mutant-detection system, which amplified his telepathic abilities, enabling him to home in on the X-Gene...and find mutants, wherever they were. It wasn't perfect; it could only trace mutants whose abilities had become active – which usually happened at puberty – but it was a start.

Finally, they had reached the room where Cerebro was housed. Ororo let go of Charles' wheelchair, and Charles wheeled himself towards the massive steel door, stopping to let the retina-scanner identify him. "_Identity confirmed: welcome, Professor._" the computer greeted him, as the doors opened, allowing him to enter, sealing behind him.

The chamber consisted of only a long platform, with a console at its end, with a single metal helmet attached to it with two silvery metal cables. The chamber was spherical, consisting of numerous steel panels. Charles rolled to the console, took the helmet, placed it upon his head, and _reached_ with his powers...

There were so many, in comparison to what he'd expected. There had to be nearly a hundred, much more than he'd expected. He could _feel_ all of them; he was sharing in their lives, their hopes, their dreams. He could find them all if he chose, but for now, he was content to simply stay like this...

Suddenly, a blinding surge cut through him; he felt such _power_, more than any mutant could _ever_ achieve. It was one mutant...or _was_ it? He tried to locate this individual; it was moving so fast. It was in Mexico...then Las Angeles...then in Kansas...no, _over_ Kansas.

Charles couldn't take any more. He struggled to reach out of his telepathic trance...and hit the emergency failsafe button on the console.

Instantly, Cerebro shut off, as the doors hissed open, letting Ororo rush in, crying his name, as he passed out, with the knowledge that he had almost located a mutant more powerful than anything he'd ever seen.

He didn't wake up for three hours.

_Smallville, Kansas, a few minutes earlier_

On one of the many dirt roads leading to and from Smallville, a single red pickup truck drove along, heading out of the little town, towards the Parker farm. In it were Richard and Mary Parker.

Richard was tall and well-built, in his late 20's, the picture of the strong, secret agent from S.H.I.E.L.D. as he and wife recently completed a mission in the area. He had short, brown hair, brown eyes, light skin.

Mary was a slender woman in her mid-20's, with mid-length raven black hair, hazel eyes, and light skin, wearing blue jeans, a white blouse, with her brown jacket over it.

Today had been a sad day for the Parker family. For the longest time, Richard and Mary had been trying to have a baby, but to no avail. After completing the mission to spy on A.I.M. they visited a doctor and Mary had sustained damage to her ovaries preventing her from having children.

They had both wanted a child so much...and now it was impossible, at least on their own. Richard glanced over to Mary; she was trying to put on a brave face, but Richard knew that this was _killing_ her.

Smiling, Richard reached over with his right hand, keeping his left one on the wheel, and took her hand. "Hey, it'll be okay." he whispered. "This doesn't mean that we can't have a baby at all; we can always adopt."

Mary looked at him, smiling weakly, squeezing his hand. "I love you." she whispered.

"I love you, to – _Holy!_" Richard yelled, as he swerved the truck to avoid a huge rock that shot down from the sky, impacting the road where the truck had just been, nearly knocking the truck off the road. Looking up into the sky, Richard saw numerous flaming cosmic projectiles blazing through the sky.

It was a meteor shower.

"Hang on!" Richard declared, as he accelerated, trying to watch the road _and_ these deadly space-missiles. He had managed to evade several of them, and was nearly home...when, in his rear-view mirror, he saw a large object, seemingly gleaming silver, coming right at them. He couldn't outrun it. "_Mary, brace yourself!_" Richard yelled.

The object hit the road inches from their rear bumper, cratering the ground, sending the truck flying.

When Richard came to, he found himself, other than a few bruises, none the worse for wear. Looking around, he saw that the truck was at the base of a huge crater...with Mary standing at its edge, looking down.

"Mary, are you okay?!" he cried, practically leaping out of the truck, rushing to her side. Mary said nothing...and pointed into the crater. Richard looked...and _froze_.

There, lying in the crater...was a silvery _spaceship_, like nothing that NASA had ever built...and nothing that the Soviet Union had ever knocked together, either.

All the late-night alien horror movies he and Mary had ever watched came flooding into his mind.

"Mary...that...that isn't _human_..." he murmured. Suddenly, the spaceship hissed, its cockpit opening...and Richard's ears were assaulted by a sound he had never heard before...

"_WAAAAAAHHHHHHH! WAAAAAAHHHHHH!_"

Instantly, Mary ran down to the spaceship, and reached into the cockpit. Richard was about to protest...until Mary extracted its occupant. "It's a _boy_!" she cried, holding the tiny infant. "It's just a baby boy!"

Richard almost smiled...until he remembered where that sweet little boy had just come from. "Mary..." he began.

"Richard, _look_ at him!" Mary exclaimed. "He's _beautiful_!" She walked over to him, and held the baby out to him.

As Richard looked at the kid, the baby smiled, and began giggling.

Any worries Richard had about this little miracle vanished in an instant. "Hey, little guy." he cooed to the baby, taking him in his arms. "Where'd you come from?" The baby just giggled, his tiny hands reaching up to explore Richard's face. Richard smiled, and gently touched the baby's tiny hand; the baby giggled, and gripped his finger. "Wow! What a grip you've got! Ow!"

_Crack!_

"_OW!_" Richard howled.

Instantly, Mary took the baby in her arms, as he started to cry. "You _scared_ him." she admonished.

Richard winced, shaking his hand; nothing _felt_ broken...but it had been _close_. But then he saw the baby's sniffling face, as if he knew he'd done something bad, and was sorry. "Hey, it's okay." he murmured, taking the baby in his arms.

Mary beamed. "Our prayers have been answered." she whispered.

Part of Richard almost wanted to argue – _almost_ – but he somehow knew that she was right. "What'll we call him?"

Mary smiled. "How about...Peter?"

Richard smiled at his new son. "Hi, Peter." he said. "Welcome to the world." Then, he handed the baby – Peter – to Mary. "Wait in the truck, honey; I'll try to get this ship into the back – we can't have it lying around, now, can we?" Mary smiled, nodding, and headed to the truck, cooing to their new son.

Peter's ship had been amazingly _light_; Richard had no trouble loading it into the truck. He quickly covered it, got in, and drove off. He glanced over to Mary and their new son, smiling. Mary had been right.

Their prayers had been answered.

_To Be Continued…_

_**A/N: I copied the majority of this chapter from **__**The Last Son, Book One: Gatherings**__** written by The Writer With No Name.**_


	2. Superman

**Chapter 2 Superman**

_North Pole, July 20, 2009_

In the frozen wastes of the North Pole, amidst the glacial ice, a vast, solitary structure stood. It was composed of countless gleaming crystals, all jutting up from the ice at 45-degree angles, interweaving in ways no human mind could fathom. Within this impenetrable sanctuary, this Fortress, was a laboratory and a home...for a survivor of a race 33 years extinct, save for one.

Within the crystalline Fortress, in the main computer chamber, was a vast computer-screen, with no control console; this computer responded to thought...specifically the thoughts of one: the Master of the Fortress.

The young Master was currently within the knowledge chamber, a holographic capsule that enabled him to absorb information at a rate that would make Earth supercomputers _green_ with envy, working with his brain physiology, unlike that of much of this world. The Master was learning.

Just then, the Master's lesson ended; the light-walls of the capsule vanished, and the 22-year-old Kal-El emerged from it. Kal-El was tall, and very strongly built, with short, black hair, mostly slicked back, with a few tufts spiking down over his forehead, and piercing blue eyes, with a light complexion. He now wore a uniform of his own design, based on the old uniform of the Kryptonian Defense Force: a blue body-suit, skin-tight against his chiseled abdominal muscles, and his powerful arms and legs, with red boots, red tight shorts, a yellow belt about his waist, a long red cape, and his family crest – that of the House of El – emblazoned on the chest, the stylized 'S' a bright red, surrounded by yellow, and outlined with a red diamond, and the crest was also done in yellow on the back of the cape.

In his four years cloistered here, in his Fortress of Solitude, after coming here a few months after the death of his beloved Earth-Uncle, Ben Parker, he had been training in the use of his new powers, training made possible by the Fortress assembled from the nano-crystal bequeathed him by his biological father.

Since the death of his Aunt and Uncle, who were like a mother and father to him, Kal has learned that 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.'

His real parents had not abandoned him. They had _saved_ him.

In his training, Kal – named Peter by his Earth parents, a name he would happily resume once he left his Fortress – had gained more than 50 pounds of pure muscle, trained to a peak that no human would likely ever begin to _fathom_. His body, drawing and harnessing the energy of Earth's yellow sun, was now a living weapon. His abilities – even after knowing all his life that he was different – astounded him. He could lift well over 50 metric tons, and move at speeds well over Mach 4. He was borderline invulnerable; he had yet to find something that could actually hurt him, other than the green space-rocks he had once come across as a child in Smallville, when his parents take him to visit the place where he was found. His parents and aunt and uncle had destroyed them, and Kal did not know of any others...but he would have to be wary. His vision was practically telescopic, and he could see through solid objects – an "X-Ray" vision – as well as see in infrared, and on a microscopic scale. His eyes could also fire deadly heat-laser beams, with enough sheer destructive force to level a building at the very least. His hearing was almost deafeningly sharp, and extended into Ultra-High Frequency and Ultra-Low Frequency; it had taken practice and a _lot_ of concentration to master it, to force himself to focus on only one thing at a time. Even his very breath was a weapon; he could exhale with hurricane-force intensity, or freeze anything in the wake of his breath to absolute zero. And – perhaps most wondrous of all – he could _fly_.

As a child, Kal had always had to be careful...and now he would have to do so more than ever.

In his time in the knowledge chamber, Kal had absorbed all the knowledge of Krypton; his people's history, science, philosophy...and all the lessons they had learned, their values, what they felt was important in life, what they believed happened to them when they died.

It was the only memory he would have of his people.

In addition, Kal had taken in many forms of combat arts, not just those of Krypton; in its time, Krypton had been in contact with numerous other races...including the Shi'ar, before the Empire had attacked Krypton. Kal had also learned from the knowledge of Krypton's most honored philosophers, its most brilliant scientists and scholars, and its most decorated tacticians.

And he had learned of the planet he now lived upon. Through the revolutionary quantum computer – designed by his father, Jor-El – he had absorbed much of the culture, philosophy, and religion of the world. He learned all of its history, and learned of its people, the ones he would walk among, though he was not one of them.

And, perhaps most importantly of all, he had heard his father's voice, in a message Jor-El had left for him. He would never forget it:

_"Hello, my son. I am Jor-El, of the planet Krypton...and I am your father. By the time you hear this, I will be long dead; Krypton, our world, is undergoing a chain-reaction in its core – our world is doomed. To save you from our fate, your mother – Lara – and I have sent you to Earth. There, you will have power that no human can match, as your Kryptonian body draws strength from Earth's yellow sun. I have designed this structure, this Fortress of Solitude, to teach you of your heritage, your abilities...and my hopes for you, Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton."_

_"They can be a great people, Kal-El; they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. And for this reason above all others, their capacity for good, I have sent them a light...for I have sent them you, my only son."_

_"Live among them, Kal-El, and find where your great power is most needed. You must never directly interfere in their natural development; that is forbidden by our highest laws. Instead, lead by example, my son; show them that there is a better way, through your actions."_

_"There may be those on Earth who will fear and hate you for what you can do, my son. Do not be disheartened, for no matter what happens...your mother and I love you. Be happy, my beloved son. Farewell."_

'_Father...I will always remember._' Kal thought to himself. As he walked towards the main computer, he said aloud, "Computer, begin planet-wide genotypic scan of human population; limit results to genotype coded as 'X-Gene.' Also, pull all records with the keyword 'superhuman'."

In his time here, the computer had once pointed something out to him; there was a number of people with what the computer had termed the "X-Gene"; it was a genetic mutation that gave its bearers unique abilities, and each was different. This had fascinated him.

"_Scans complete._" the Fortress reported. "_Feeding results to main screen._"

The main screen instantly lit up with a world-map, with blotches of red across it; these were X-Gene-positive humans, or "mutants."

Kal's eyes widened in surprise; there were so many...

Then, the computer fed numerous newspaper articles to the main screen. Several of them caught his eye, such as "_Avengers, Assembled?_", "_The Amazing_ _Phantom Menace of New York,_" and, "_Fantastic Four: Heroes of Science_".

People with super-human abilities using them for good.

"I know what my purpose is." Kal-El said, smiling...though it felt like part of him had known all along. Kal turned, and headed for his personal chamber.

He would be leaving, soon.

Kal-El was at his workbench, his uniform belt in his hand, as he tinkered with the buckle. He had just finished installing the high-tech link to the Fortress in the buckle, and was just welding it into place with an electron-micro-welder. His task complete, he put the tool away, and slid the buckle right out of the belt, and tapped a button on its inside; instantly, the buckle expanded into a palm-top computer. "Fortress: run a Level-Five Diagnostic on the link to the mainframe." he instructed.

"_Running diagnostic...done. Link to mainframe at 100% efficiency._"

"Very good." Kal said. "And the computer's other features?"

"_Unit's scan function is operational at 100% efficiency. Receiving functions are at optimal level. Unit's wireless communication function is at optimal level, with optional masking function at 100%. Unit's casing will endure up to 5.2 kiloton impacts._"

"Excellent." Kal-El said, shutting off the computer, and sliding it into the belt, before clipping it around his waist. With a link to the Fortress mainframe, he'd be able to keep one ear to any threats or disasters that his hearing might miss. He started to head to his room, to gather up his personal belongings; it was time to leave.

_1 and half hours later…_

Peter was moving into his new apartment in New York and start his new life. His new apartment has everything he needed, including space for him tinkering around with various gadgets.

He was carrying the last of the boxes inside when he heard a familiar voice, "Hello tiger, need any help."

Peter looked over the two boxes he was carrying and said, "MJ? Is that you?"

The look on the red-heads face was priceless, "Peter!? I didn't recognize you! My you've grown! Need any help?"

Peter chuckled and replied, "Sure. Grab the top box and we can catch up."

Mary-Jane Watson the red-head, blue eye girl grab the top box and followed Peter into his new apartment.

"You can put that box on the counter over there." Peter gestured the counter near the kitchen and MJ put the box she was carrying on the counter as Peter put his on the table and reached in and grabbed a couple of Cokes and asked, "What one?" MJ nodded and Peter tossed her one, "Sorry that they're not cold they hadn't had time to chill."

"It's ok," MJ replied, "Where have you been."

Peters face filled with sorrow, and answered, "Ever since my Aunt and Uncle died I travelled doing this and that finding out who I am."

"Sorry," MJ replied realized that his Aunt and Uncle were the closet thing he had to real parents. Mj grew out during the years. She now had large assets and the perfect hour glass figure that most girls would kill for. Her red hair fell down to her mid waist.

Peter held up his hand and said, "it's fine, I just needed time to myself so I could think. Anyway what have you been up to since I left."

MJ smiled and replied, "I'm a successful Broadway actress and I've recently been casted to play as Bell in the Beauty and the Beast Broadway adaption."

"Sounds like you've achieved your dream," Peter smiled as he congratulated her as he fixed his fake glasses.

"Are you planning on staying," MJ asked.

"I plan on it," Peter replied and MJ smiled at this and Peter continued, "I've landed a job as a journalist at the Daily Planet, NY branch."

"I've started to read that more since they tend to keep to the facts more than the Bugle does, especially when it's about the Phantom," MJ said.

"I've heard about him," Peter said, "Isn't he supposed to be a menace or something?"

"Oh you don't know," MJ realized, "He's not a menace. He showed up a couple of years ago and started cleaning up the streets of the various gangs and thugs."

Peter smiled and said, "That's good to know."

_Around midnight Peters bedroom_

MJ's and Peters clothes were scattered all over the room and MJ and Peter were lying under the covers of Peters bed as MJ cuddled up to him.

"That was some welcome home," Peter said.

"I've been waiting for that for years," MJ said as she panted from exhaustion and sweat gleamed from her skin.

_The Next day_

A commercial airliner's 3 of the 4 engines blew several miles off the coast of New York and the Pilot was trying to stabilize the plane while the copilot was sending out a distress signal. "Mayday! Mayday! Does anybody read me?"

The only thing that the copilot got back was static and he said in his Irish accent, "Looks like we're on our own, Steve."

"Brace for impact," Steve yelled and they braced for impact and all of a sudden the plane straightened out mere feet from the waters surface.

"What the," Steve replied.

"Did the engines come back," the copilot asked.

"Hell no, Patrick," Steve replied still confused but relieved, and he looked behind them at the right wing and he had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, "Hey Patrick take a look. I must be seeing things since it appears someone caught this plane."

Patrick looked at him as if he grew two extra heads and took a look to amuse the captain and Patrick looked at Steve and looked back under the wing, "You're not seeing things Steve a man in blue and a red cape caught this plane.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: Phantom is an OC hero designed to take Peter's place as the New York 'Menace'**

**Powers of my OC hero:**

**Super strength: able to lift 20 tons**

**Flight**

**Super speed: able to run at 240 miles an hour and fly at 500.**

**Energy rays**

**Intangibility**

**Invisibility**


End file.
